Straightening machine for elongated workpieces

ABSTRACT

A machine for simultaneously straightening leads extending in opposite directions from the central portion of a member such as a diode, including a base, a plurality of substantially parallel roll sets mounted on said base for defining a first space for receiving the leads for simultaneously rolling said leads therebetween, each of said roll sets consisting of first and second coaxial series of rolls with a second space between the first and second series with the rolls of each series being mounted in a cantilevered manner, a conveyor in the form of a feed wheel having pivotally mounted arms for receiving a workpiece proximate the central portion thereof at a pick-up station and carrying the member to said first space and for holding said member at said first space while the leads are straightened and thereafter carrying the member to a station where it is removed from the feed wheel, the mounting of the roll sets in a cantilevered manner permitting the feed wheel and related feed apparatus to be located in the second spaces between the axially aligned cantilevered roll sets. The feed wheel can be driven in an intermittent stepwise manner, as by a Geneva gear mechanism, or, alternatively, the feed wheel can be driven by a gearing arrangement at a substantially continuous rate of speed because the arm carrying the workpiece is mounted to yield while the workpiece is being momentarily stopped at the work station.

United States Patent rm Kopczynski STRAIGHTENING MACHINE FOR ELONGATED WORKPIECES John F. Kopczynski, 1671 Sweeney St., North Tonawanda, NY. 14120 [22] Filed: Mar. 22, 1974 [2]] Appl. No.: 453,792

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 286.547, Sept. 6.

1972, Pat. No. 3.799.2l6.

[76] Inventor:

Primary E.rruninerLowell A. Larson Attorney, Agent, or Firm loseph P. Gastel [57] ABSTRACT A machine for simultaneously straightening leads extending in opposite directions from the central portion Apr. 8, 1975 of a member such as a diode, including a base, a plurality of substantially parallel roll sets mounted on said base for defining a first space for receiving the leads for simultaneously rolling said leads thcrebetween, each of said roll sets consisting of first and second coaxial series of rolls with a second space between the first and second series with the rolls of each series being mounted in a cantilevered manner. a conveyor in the form of a feed wheel having pivotally mounted arms for receiving a workpiece proximate the central portion thereof at a pick-up station and carrying the member to said first space and for holding said member at said first space while the leads are straightened and thereafter carrying the member to a station where it is removed from the feed wheel, the mounting of the roll sets in a cantilevered manner permitting the feed wheel and related feed apparatus to be located in the second spaces between the axially aligned cantilevered roll sets. The feed wheel can be driven in an intermittent stepwise manner. as by at Geneva gear mechanism, or. alternatively. the feed wheel can be driven by a gearing arrangement at a substantially continuous rate of speed because the arm carrying the workpiece is mounted to yield while the workpiece is being momentarily stopped at the work station.

34 Claims, 26 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 8l975 SHEET PATENTEU APR ems SHEET U30F 13 mmvx kkx

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zofrqjozw STRAIGHTENING MACHINE FOR ELONGATED WORKPIECES The present application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 286.547. filed Sept. 6. 1972 now US. Pat. No. 3.799.2l6.

The present invention relates to an improved machine and feed mechanism for straightening elongated wire-like workpieces and more particularly to a machine and feed mechanism for straightening the leads of electronic components such as diodes by bending the leads between rolls.

By way of background. machines have been known in the past for straightening the leads of a workpiece such as a diode or the like by means of a series of opposed rolls. A machine of this type is shown in copending application of John F. Kopczynski Ser. No. 286.547. filed Sept. 6. I972. now US. Pat. No. 3.799.216. In the prior machine the workpiece was held by a magnetic wheel from the time that it was picked up at a pick-up station to the time that it was delivered to a delivery station. including the time that it was at a work station between the bending rolls. However. in the prior machine the engagement between the workpiece and the feed mechanism was strictly by a magnetic attraction. Therefore. care had to be taken that the feed mechanism was carefully synchronized with the action of the rolling machine so that there was no loss of engagement between the feed mechanism and the workpiece during the rolling action. Furthermore. the feed to the rolling machine had to be of a generally intermittent nature. that is. it had to have a stop and go action so that the workpiece could dwell between the work rollers for a required time. it is with an improved rolling machine and feed mechanism therefor which is an improvement over the foregoing type of rolling machine that the present invention is concerned.

It is accordingly one important object of the present invention to provide an improved feed mechanism for a machine for rolling the leads of an electronic component. the feed mechanism being capable of moving relative to the workpiece while the workpiece is in engagement by the rolls during a bending operation. without a loss of engagement between the workpiece and the feed mechanism.

Another object ofthe present invention is to provide an improved feed mechanism for feeding a workpiece having wire leads to a rolling machine. the feed mechanism being so constructed so as to hold the workpiece against detachment therefrom from the time that the workpiece is picked up at a pick-up station until it is delivered at a delivery station.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a feed mechanism in conjunction with a rolling machine having a plurality of cantilever mounted workpiece bending rolls with spaces between axially aligned sets of rolls so that workpiece feeding means can be positioned in such spaces to thereby insure positive handling of the workpieces by the feed mechanism.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved bending machine and feed mechanism combination in which the workpieces are handled in such a manner so that the feed mechanism can move at a constant uniform rate notwithstanding that the workpieces must dwell at the work station for a short period of time in order to be acted on properly.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved rolling machine for elongated members which utilizes a guiding cam arrangement to guide a workpiece through a work station between spaced rolls. thereby simplifying the rolling machine structure.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved feed arrangement for feeding workpieces from a magnetic hopper to a rolling machine where leads extending from the workpieces are straightened. Other objects and attendant advantages of the present invention will readily be perceived hereafter.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention the improved machine for simultaneously straight ening the leads extending from opposite sides of the central portion of a workpiece comprises a base. first. second and third substantially parallel roll sets mounted on said base to define a first space in which said leads are placed when they are engaged by said roll sets. each of said roll sets comprising first and second coaxial roll means with a second space therebetvveen. and means for mounting said first and second rolls of said first and second roll sets in a cantilevered manner.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention the machine for simultaneously straightening the leads extending from opposite sides of the central portion of a workpiece comprises a base. a plurality of substantially parallel roll means mounted on said base for defining a space for receiving said leads for simultaneously rolling said leads therebetween. feed means for conveying said workpiece to and from said space and maintaining substantial engagement with said workpiece while conveying said workpiece and while said workpiece is in said space. said feed means comprising arm supporting means. outwardly extending arm means on said arm supporting means for carrying said work piece. and means movably mounting said arm means on said arm supporting means to permit said arm means to adjust to the position of said workpiece carried thereby while said workpiece is in said space. The drive means for driving said arm supporting means can move said arm supporting means either in a continuous manner or an intermittent manner.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention the machine for straightening an elongated wire-like workpiece comprises a base. first and second substantially parallel sets of roll means mounted on said base and defining a work station therebetwcen for said workpiece. said first set of roll means comprising a plurality of coaxial spaced first rolls with first spaces therebetween. said second set of roll means comprising a plurality of coaxial spaced second rolls with second spaces therebetween. cam means. and cam mounting means mounting said cam means relative to said first and second rolls to cause said cam means to periodically enter said first and second spaces to move a workpiece through said work station.

In accordance with still another aspect. the present invention is directed to a feed mechanism for feeding elongated magnetic workpieces to a rolling machine comprising a hopper. spaced magnetic sides on said hopper for causing said magnetic workpieces to line up therebetween. a feed wheel. pick-up means on the outer portions of said feed wheel for picking up single workpieces. a rolling machine. and intermittent or continuous drive means for causing said feed wheel to advance to carry said workpieces from said hopper to said rolling machine, said pick-up means including means for maintaining contact with said workpieces while said workpiece is acted on by said rolling machine. The various aspects of the present invention will be more fully understood when the following portions of the specilication are read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. I is a fragmentary perspective view of the im proved machine of the present invention including the feed mechanism and the rolling or straightening ma chine;

FIG. IA is a side elevational view of the electronic component having leads which are straightened by the machine of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the machine of the present invention taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 2A is a fragmentary end elevational view of a cam arrangement used for cyclically varying the position of certain of the rolls during the rolling operation;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIG. 2 with certain parts omitted in the interest of clarity;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken substantially along line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic views taken substantially along lines 4A4A and 4B4B. respectively, of FIG. 4 showing the relationship of various drive gears of the rolling machine;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken substantially along line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view taken substantially along line 6-6 of FIG. 7 and showing further details of construction of the arm of the feed wheel;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken substantially along line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary cross sectional view similar to FIG. 6 but showing the manner in which the arm of the feed wheel may deflect during the rolling operation.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary cross sectional view showing an alternate type of mounting arm for the feed wheel with the arm being oriented in a vertically upward position for receiving a workpiece from the feed mecha nism for transporting to the rolling machine;

FIG. is a view similar to FIG. 9 but showing the arm in a downwardly extending position for depositing the workpiece at a delivery station;

FIG. II is a fragmentary side elevational view. partially in cross section. showing a modified guide for the rolling machine. the modification residing in the adjusting feature thereof;

FIG. 12 is an end elevational view of the modified guide of FIG. ll taken substantially along line I2I2 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary cross sectional view similar to FIG. 6 but showing a feed wheel arm which is springbiased in both directions;

FIG. I4 is a fragmentary side elevational view partially in cross section showing a modified arrangement of the feed wheel arms having magnetic holding means at their outer ends and side panels associated with the arm for aiding in maintaining the workpieces properly aigned;

FIG. is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken substantially along line ISIS of FIG. 14'.

FIG. 16 is a side elevational view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention showing a feed arrangement in conjunction with a straightening machine for causing the workpieces to be fed in a continuous manner with a varying speed to the rolling machine, rather than the intermittent manner of FIGS. l5 and also showing a rolling machine utilizing cams instead of one of the sets of rolls;

FIG. I7 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the feed mechanism of FIG. 16 and showing in enlarged detail the relationship between the feed cam structure and the workpiece carried by the feed wheel;

FIGv I8 is a plan view of the machine of FIG. 16 taken substantially along line l8-l8 of FIG. 16 with certain parts omitted in the interest of clarity;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view similar to FIG. 18 but showing the gearing arrangement for providing the continuous drive;

FIG. 20 is a schematic view showing the relationship between the various drives of the machine taken in the direction of line 2020 of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is another schematic view showing the relationship between the drives to the various portions of the machine and the feed mechanism and the rolls; and

FIG. 22 is a graph depicting the varying speed with which the workpiece is carried continuously at various portions of its travel.

The improved machine I0 of the present invention includes a base or frame mounting spoked feed wheel II and a rolling machine. Feed wheel ll receives workpieces 12 from a hopper l3 and carries these workpieces to a work station between the substantially parallel roll sets l4l4'. -15 and I6I6' ofthe roll ing machine where the leads 17 on opposite sides of workpiece body portion 18 are straightened simultaneously. Wheel 11 thereafter discharges each workpiece 12 on a drum 19 (FIG. 2).

The feed hopper I3 is of a construction to receive workpieces 12 from a suitable bin (not shown) and maintain them in substantial alignment between plates 20 and 21 as shown in FIG. I. At the lower ends of plates 20 and 21 a suitable catch mechanism (not shown) is provided to release workpieces I2 one at a time into the outer ends of arms 22 which are momentarily brought into alignment with the slot between plates 20 and 2] during intermittent movement of wheel 11.

Each arm 22 includes a central portion 23 (FIG. 6) which is pivotally mounted on pin 24 mounted between parallel side plates 25 of feed wheel 11, plates 25 in turn being mounted on hub 26 which is keyed to shaft 27 driven by Geneva gear drive 28. Each arm 22 includes a bifurcated end portion 27 having spaced arms 28 which have slots 29 therein. As can be seen from FIG. 7, the portions of leads 17 immediately adjacent to body portion 18 of the workpiece are received in slots 29 and are carried to the work area of the rolling machine. It is to be especially noted that slot 29 is elongated so that workpiece I2 may float to any required position axially of arm 22 as required so that it will oc cupy an optimum position at the work station between roll sets 14-14. lS-l5' and l6l6' during the rolling operation. as can be seen from FIG. 2. At this point it is to be noted that when the leads 17 are being rolled, the roll sets 14-44. IS-IS' and I6--I6' are in the position shown in FIG. 6, and. as noted above, the

workpiece 12 can shift in the direction axially of arm 22 as required for optimum rolling action. In addition. each arm 22 can pivot about its respective pin 24 so as to provide a substantially vertical floating movement of the workpiece in FIG. 6, as required. to permit the workpiece to adjust itself in an optimum manner relative to the work area between the rolls.

The adjustment of each arm 22 in a counterclockwise direction about its associated pin 24 is against the bias of leaf spring which is secured to block portion 3] of wheel II by screws 32. In this respect. it is the end portion 33 of spring 30 which bears against side 34 of arm 22 and biases side 34' of arm portion 35 against shoulder 36 of block 3]. At this point it is to be noted that the wheel ll moves rapidly toward the work station and therefore the fact that practically equal parts of each arm 22 are located on opposite sides of pin 24 will provide a balancing effect which tends to obviate the tendency for the arms 22 to pivot relative to pin 24 during the rotation of wheel II. Each pin 24 includes opposite enlarged portions 37 and a central cutaway portion 38 which is engaged by spring-biased detent 39 mounted in the end of screw member 40 which is threaded into tapped bore 41 in enlarged portion 42 of arm 22. Therefore, in the event it is ever desired to replace arm 22, it is merely necessary to drive pin 24 out of the position shown in FIG. 7 against the bias of detent 39, and to replace pin 24 it is merely necessary to insert a new pin when the bore 4| in arm 22 is in alignment with the pin receiving bores in side plates 25 of wheel II.

After arm 22 receives a workpiece from the hopper 13 at position (FIG. 2). it moves to an intermediate position B. then to a work station at position C wherein the workpiece is acted on by roll sets I4I4'. IS-I5' and I6 I6 and thereafter the arm moves to a position D and thence to a position E wherein the workpiece is deposited into a depression 43 in receiving wheel 19. A Geneva gear mechanism 28 causes the foregoing movement between the various stations to be intermittent. A guide 44 (FIG. I) is secured to frame 45 of the feeder l3 by means of screws 46. Guide 44 includes an arcuate surface 47 which generally follows the path traversed by the outer ends of arms 22. As can be seen from FIG. I. surface 47 lies between the outer ends of the arms so as to positively trap body portion I8 of the workpiece in the position shown in FIG. I. A leafspring 48 is attached to guide 44 by screws 49 (FIG. 2) and extends inwardly into the space 50 (FIG. 1) between roll sets l4l4' which are mounted in cantilevered fashion on opposite sides of space 50. The lower end SI of leaf spring 48 bears against the upper end of arcuate surface 52 of block 53 which is secured to the frame of the rolling machine. Arcuate surface 52 starts slightly before work station C and ends slightly before position E of arm 22 (FIG. 2). It can be seen from FIG. 4 that roll sets 15-[5' are cantilever mounted with a space 54 therebetwcen. At this point it is to be noted that curved surface 52 (FIG. 6) includes a first curved portion 55 which lies beyond the ends 56 of arms 22 and a second curved portion 57 which extends inwardly of the ends of arms 22. This relationship can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 6. As can be seen from FIGS. 6 and 7, body portion 18 of the workpiece bears against curved portion 55 during the lead straightening action. Because surface 55 is the distance of the radius of body portion I8 away from the axis of leads I7, when surface 55 bears against body portion IS. the leads 17 will be oriented properly for straightening. It is to be noted from FIG. 6. however, that the ends 56 of arms 28 lie beyond leads l7 while body portion 18 bears against surface 55. and this relationship prevents loss of contact between workpiece I2 and arm 22. When arm 22 carries workpiece 12 across surface 57, as at position D. the ends 56 of arms 22 will lie beyond surface 57 to positively trap the workpiece body portion between the arms 28. After arm 22 clears the extreme end 58 of curved surface 52, the workpiece I2 will drop from slots 29 into a depression 43 of wheel I9. Alternatively, if a wheel 19 is not used. the workpiece can drop freely as indicated by workpiece 12' in FIG. 2.

In FIGS. II and 12 an adjustable block 53' is shown. this block being similar to block 53 described above. Block 53' includes a lower block portion 60 which is fixed to the frame of the rolling machine by screws 60'. Block 53' also includes an upper block portion 61 which is movable relative to the lower block portion 60. In this respect. lower block portion 60 includes parallel spaced upstanding sides 62 which slidably receive lower portion 63 of upper block 61 therebetwcen. A screw 64 is journalled against axial movement in bracket 65 which is secured to lower block portion 60 by means of screws 66. Screw 64 is threaded into a mating tapped bore 67 in block portion 63. It will be appre ciated that when screw 67 is rotated. upper block por tion 61 can be adjusted in the direction of arrow 68. After upper block portion 61 has reached its adjusted position. a set screw 69. which was previously loosened. is tightened. The adjustment of upper block portion 6l permits workpieces having different sized central portions [8 to be passed through the machine.

A modified arm 22 of arm 22 of FIGS. 6-8 is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. This arm is substantially identical in all respects to the arm of FIGS. 6-8 except that it has been modified to include a slidable pin 70 which aids in ejecting a workpiece I2 from spaced slots 29. In this respect. when workpiece I2 is received from hopper 13, pin 70 is in a position shown in FIG. 9 wherein the head 71 of pin 70 is resting against pin 24 which retains arm 22 between spaced plates 25. as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. When arm 22' reaches a downwardly extending position. such as shown in FIG. 10. pin 70 will slide downwardly so that the lower end 72 thereof engages workpiece l2 and pushes it out of its position between ends 28 of arm 22'. The lowermost position of pin 70 is when head 71 thereof is in engagement with annular shoulder 73.

In FIG. 13 a still further modified type of arm 22" is shown for mounting on a modified type of feed wheel 11'. In this respect. feed wheel II is similar in outward configuration to feed wheel II shown in FIG. I. and numerals which are identical to those used in FIGS. I-8 designate identical parts. Feed wheel ll includes spaced side walls 25'. which are analogous to side walls 25, between which a pin which may be identical to pin 24 of FIGS. 6-7 extends and which is held in position between walls 25' by means of a spring-biased detent 39 mounted in screw member 40 which is threaded into tapped bore 74. A first leaf spring 75 is secured to block 76 of wheel II by means of screws 77. The end 78 of spring 75 bears against one side of arm 22". Another leaf spring 79 is secured to block 80 by means of screws 8] and has an outer end 82 which bears against the opposite side of arm 22". It can thus be seen that leaf springs 75 and 79 bias arm 22" to a central posi* tion and that the outer end of arm 22" which includes spaced end portions 28 and slots 29 can move in opposite directions about the axis of pin 24 as a fulcrum so as to adjust the position of a workpiece 12 carried thereby. as required by the positions of the rolls between which the leads are straightened. With the type of mounting for arm 22", as described above. shaft 27. which mounts the feed wheel. can rotate continuously at a substantially uniform speed. rather than intermittently. as described above relative to the figures other than FIG. 13. because the ability of arm 22" to pivot in both directions permits it to maintain engagement with the workpiece while the workpiece is momentarily held against rotation with wheel II' when it is being acted on by roll sets I4I4'. ISI5' and 16-16. In order to obtain continuous movement of shaft 27, the Geneva gear mechanism 28 is replaced by a straight gear drive or any other suitable drive mechanism The above described feed mechanism carries workpieces I2 to the work station between the roll sets I-II4'. IS-IS' and I6I6. Roll set l4l4' includes a plurality of rolls 14 which are coaxial with a plurality of rolls 14''. roll set I5I5' includes a plurality of rolls 15 which are coaxial with a plurality of rolls IS and roll set l6-I6' includes a plurality of rolls I6 which are coaxial with a plurality of rolls I6. All of the rolls are fabricated from suitable hard plastic material. It is a salient feature of the rolling machine that each roll set l4-I4'. IS-IS' and l6-I6' is cantilevermounted with a space therebetween so that the various abme-described portions of the feed mechanism can be located in the space between each roll set. In this respect. as noted above. roll set I4I4' (FIG. I) has a space between rolls I4 and 14'; roll set l6--I6' has a space between rolls I6 and I6 (FIGS. 3 and 5); and roll set l5I5' has a space 54 between rolls I5 and 15' for receiving block 53 which also extends into space 50 in roll set l4-I4'.

The feed wheel I]. which is keyed to shaft 27. is driven with an intermittent motion to pick up workpieces I2 from hopper I3. one at a time. and convey them to the rolling machine where leads 17 are straightened. More specifically. a suitable motor (not shown) drives shaft 88 which is journalled in spaced bearings 89 mounted on base or frame 90 of the rolling machine. Shaft 88 is also coupled to Geneva gear mechanism 28 having an intermittently operating out put shaft 27 on which feed wheel II is mounted. Be cause the Geneva gear mechanism 28 is coupled to drive shaft 88. the Geneva gear mechanism will operate in synchronized relationship with the rolling machine. A gear 9I is keyed to shaft 88 and is in mesh with gear 92 keyed to shaft 93 journalled in bearings 94 and 95 mounted in frame members 96 and 97, respectively. Rolls I6 are keyed to shaft 93. and as noted above. shaft 93 is cantilever mounted. A gear 98 is also keyed to shaft 88 in spaced relationship to gear 9l. A gear 99 is in mesh with gear 98 and is keyed to shaft 100 journalled in bearings 10] and 102 which are mounted on frame members I03 and I04. respectively. Rolls 16 are keyed to shaft 100 and are mounted on the overhanging portion of shaft I00 which is supported in a cantilevered manner. Rolls [6' and I6 and their supporting structure are of a suitable construction so that the rolls can be mounted and demounted from shafts 93 and I00. as required.

Gear I05 (FIG. 4) is in mesh with gear 91 keyed to shaft 88. Gear I05 is keyed to shaft I06 journalled in bearings I07 and I08 in frame portion I09. At the end of shaft 106 remote from gear is a crank IIO having a pin III exxentrically mounted thereon. A bearing H2 is mounted on pin Ill and mounts portion 113 (FIGS. 4 and 2) of connecting arm lI4 which has its upper end journalled on pin I15 extending through lever II6 having its lower end journalled on shaft 117 mounted on frame member 118. Therefore. as shaft I06 rotates. connecting arm 114 will move up and down and carry lever II6 between its solid line position F and its dotted line position G as indicated by arrow 119. A plurality of spaced rolls 14 (FIG. I) are journalled on shaft I20 extending outwardly from member 121 whch forms a part of arm II6. A plurality of spaced rolls 14 (FIG. I) are journalled on frame member I22 which forms a part of the outer end of lever I I6 and is coaxial with and axially spaced from portion I2I. When lever II6 is in dotted line position G. the feed wheel II will advance the distance between adjacent arms 22 to carry the workpiece from position B to a position C. Thereafter. lever 116 will move to the solid line position F to cause the workpiece leads I7 to be rolled between the three roll sets I4-I4', I5I5' and l6I6' and thereafter roll sets I4I4' will move downwardly from the position of FIG. 6 to the position shown in FIG. 8 to push the workpiece 12 through the space between the roll sets I5I5' and [6-- I6. When this occurs. lever 22 can move from the position shown in FIG. 6 to the position shown in FIG. 8 against the bias of leaf spring 30, without the necessity of feed wheel 11 rotating at this time. During the rolling of the leads I7, body portion I8 of member 12 will be supported against surface 55 of block 53. as described in detail above.

Roll sets ISI5' (FIG. 4) are mounted on a lever 123 having spaced arms 124-424 and 125-125. Arm 125 is journalled on hearing I26 mounted on shaft 88. and arm I24 is journalled on bearing I27 mounted on shaft I88. A follower roller I28 (FIGS. 2 and 2A) is journalled at the lower end of arm 124" of lever I23 and a cam 129 is keyed to shaft I06. Therefore. periodically lever 123 will pivot about shaft 88 to cause roll sets 15-15 to recede from roll sets I6-I6'. This is shown in FIGS. 6 and 8. More specifically, in FIG. 6 roll sets I5I5' are relatively close to roll sets I6]6' and in FIG. 8 they are more spaced therefrom. Because of the action of lever I4. as described above. roll sets I4I4' will move downwardly from the position shown in FIG. 6 to the position shown in FIG. 8 to thereby push the leads [7 through the work station at which they were rolled. and at this time rolls l5-I5 will move to the position of FIG. 8 to release the leads 17.

At this point it is to be noted from FIGS. 3 and 7 that corresponding rolls of roll sets lS-IS' and I6l6' are in alignment with each other. It is also to be noted from FIG. 2 that the rolls of roll sets I4I4' move down into the spaces between adjacent rolls of roll sets I5-I5 and between adjacent rolls of roll sets I6-l6' so as to provide the relationship between roll sets 14-14. I5I5' and l6l6' as shown in FIG. 2. This is also shown in FIG. I5.

It is to be noted that gears 91 and 98 at the ends of shaft 88 are in mesh with gears I30 and UL respectively. on shafts I32 and I33, respectively. Shaft I32 is journalled in arms 124I24' by bearings I34 and I35. Shaft 133 is journalled on arms 125-125 by bearings I36 and I37. Rolls I are keyed to shaft I32 and are supported in cantilevered relationship relative to lever arm I24. Rolls are keyed to shaft I33 which is supported in cantilevered relationship to lever arm portion 125.

As noted above. workpieces 12 are deposited in slots 43 of roll I9. If for any reason part of workpiece 12 is stuck in slots 29, it will be retained in slots 29 when it passes over surface 30' which is of the same curvature as curved surface 57 but spaced therefrom. Thereafter. the stuck workpiece will be stripped from slots 29 by stripper 31' as arm 22 moves past it. and the workpiece will drop into pan 32'.

In FIGS. I4 and IS an alternate embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. In this embodiment feed wheel II is substantially identical to the feed wheel 11' described above in FIG. 13, except that magnets 140 are mounted at the outer ends of arms I42 which are identical in all respects to arms 22' of FIG. I3, except that the outer ends carry magnets I instead of the structure shown in FIG. 13. The drive to shaft 27 which mounts feed wheel II rotates continuously and not intermittently. this action being possible because arms I42 can yield in both directions about their pivot mounting 24 when the workpiece leads I7 are being straightened.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 14 and IS, a feed hopper 143 includes a bin 144 having a bracket I45 secured to its underside. the bracket being connected to a vibratory motor structure (not shown) which thus imparts vibration to the bin. The opposite side panels I46 of bin I44 are magnetic so as to cause the opposed leads 1?, which are generally in axial alignment with each other. to line up crosswise of bin 144 when the hopper is vibrating. leads l7 extending outwardly from body portion I8 of the electrical component I2, as shown in FIG. 1A. Electrical component I2 may be a diode or a resistor or condensor or any other type of component having a central body portion and a pair of substantially axially aligned leads extending from opposite sides thereof. Within bin I46 is a baffle plate I47 which extends across the bin betwcen sides I46 and is supported at its upper end on link I48. The lower end I49 of plate I47 is spaced from the bottom I50 of the bin to permit the workpieces 12 to pile up as shown in FIG. 14 as a result of vibrating bin I43 and subjecting workpieces I2 to the magnetic action of spaced parallel sides I44.

The feed wheel II, which is keyed to shaft 27, is driven with a continuous motion to pick up workpieces I2 from bin I43, one at a time, and convey them to the space between roll sets I4I4 I5l5' and I6l6. as described in detail above, where leads 18 are straightenedv The workpieces 12, which are aligned in parallelism with each other in bin 43, are picked up as the outer magnet ends I40 of arms I42 move past opening ISI at the bottom left-hand corner of bin I43. Each magnet I40 has a shelf portion 152 on which the body 18 of workpiece I2 comes to rest. A protuberance I53 bears on the rear of body portion 18 to hold it in alignment, as required. on magnet I40. Shelf 152, which is the outer side of the magnet. is of a size to receive only one body portion I8 and it carries this body portion upwardly in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 14. Parallel spaced plates 154 permit the central body portion I8 to be carried by the magnet while leads I7, extending from opposite sides of body portion 18, are supported by the outer edges of plates 154. A freely rotatable sponge-like wheel I55 is mounted on shaft I56 carried by bracket 157. An air hose I58, which conducts compressed air, terminates at nozzle I59. The compressed air leaving nozzle I59 causes wheel I55 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction to pick off any workpiece I2 in excess of one which is attracted by magnet I40, in the event for any reason that more than one workpiece has been picked up. This workpiece will then fall downwardly along the outside surface of plates 154 back onto the pile of workpieces 12 shown at the bottom of bin 143.

As noted above, feed wheel II will be driven in a continuous manner and when each workpiece reaches a work station between roll sets 14-14, l5I5' and I6I6'. the leads will be straightened and arm 142 will deflect as required to permit the straightening to occur while the arm maintains engagement with the workpiece 12. A suitable testing circuit may be associated with the rolling machine so as to pass an electric current through the workpiece while it is being rolled. Apparatus for performing this function is disclosed in copening application Ser. No. 286.547, of John F. Kopczynski, now US. Pat. No. 3,799.2l6. The information obtained from testing the workpiece while it is at the work station is fed to a shift register (not shown). If the value which is obtained from testing indicates that the workpiece is substandard and that rejection should occur. solenoid I60 will be energized to move piston I6I upwardly against the bias of spring 162 which is interposed between collar I63 associated with piston I6I and a shoulder on the inside of bore 164. Solenoid I60 is energized when the defective workpiece is directly above it. This will cause magnet I65 at the upper end of piston 16] to approach workpiece I2. The strength of magnet I65 is greater than the strength of magnet I40 which holds workpiece 12 on feed wheel 1]. Therefore, magnet 165 will provide a greater pulling force and pull workpiece 12 away from magnet I40. Thereafter, solenoid I60 will be deactuated and spring I62 will expand to move piston I6I back to the position shown in FIG. I4. However. in moving to the position shown in FIG. I4, it will move below the upper surface l66 of a plurality of spaced parallel tines 167 to thereby disengage workpiece 12 from magnet I65 and thereafter workpiece 12 will pass down chute I68 and drop into a reject receptacle I69.

If the workpiece is not defective. and therefore has not been withdrawn by the action of magnet 165, it will move counterclockwise from the rejection position. At this point a pair of spaced tines I70, which are attached to link I45, will engage the leads I7 on opposite sides of the body portion I8 and cause the workpiece to drop downwardly into the space 171 between adjacent teeth 172 formed on spaced belts I73 of conveyor I73. Actually the teeth are approximately the length of each lead 17 and there are two belts I73 in side-by-side relationship and in exact alignment so as to provide a space between belts 173 for receiving body portion I8. There is an electric eye arrangement including a transmitter portion I74 and a receiver portion I75 located at the point where the workpieces I2 are removed from the feed wheel II. Ifa workpiece is removed. this information will be sensed by the electric eye I74-I75 and wheel pulley I76 on which belts I73 are mounted will be advanced one space between teeth I72 in a clockwise direction so as to provide an open space between a subsequent pair of teeth 172 to receive the next work piece which is to be placed on the belt However. if the workpiece 12 was rejected by the action of magnet 165. as described in detail above. then there is no workpiece 12 in position to be placed onto belt 173'. Therefore. electric eye 174-175 will not provide a signal to a suitable advancing mechanism (not shown) for advancing belts 173 one increment.

in the embodiment of FIGS. 1622 a base 200 is provided which may be mounted on a suitable table top or the like 201. Spaced arms 202 and 203 extend upwardly from base 200 and support roll series 204 consisting of cantilevered rolls 204' and 204" which have a space 205 therebetwecn through which feed wheel 206 passes. Feed wheel 206 is shown schematically but may be the feed wheel of FIG. 2 or FIG. 14. More specifically in the foregoing respect the shaft 208 on which rolls 204' are mounted is supported by upstanding arm 203 and upstanding arm 207, which also extends up wardly from base 200. Suitable bearings (not shown) in arms 203 and 207 journal the shaft 208. Shaft 209. which mounts rolls 204". is journalled for rotation in suitable bearings (not shown) in upstanding arm 202 and upstanding arm 210 which also extends upwardly from base 200. A description of the details of construction of the bearings and the manner in which shafts 208 and 209 are mounted is not deemed necessary at this point because ofthe fact that the structure may be similar to that described above relative to FIGS. lor similar to the structure described relative to FIGS. 1-8 of US. Pat. No. 3.799.216. which is incorporated here by reference.

The roll series 204 and 227 are driven in the following manner. A belt drive is provided which includes belt 211 coupled to a suitable motor source and encircling pulley 212 which is keyed to shaft 213. Shaft 213 is analogous to shaft 88 of FIG. 3 and shaft 213 extends all the way from the left of the machine as shown in FIG. 18 to the right portion ofthe machine in a manner analogous to shaft 88 of FIG. 3. However, the portion of shaft 213 to the right of the portion shown in FIG. 18 has been omitted from FIG. 18 in the interest of clarity. Keyed to shaft 213 are gears 300 and 301. Gear 300 is in mesh with gear 302 which is keyed to shaft 208 and therefore drives rolls 204'. Gear 301. which is keyed to shaft 213. is in mesh with gear 303 which is keyed to shaft 209 which mounts rolls 204". Gear 301 is also in mesh with gear 304 which is keyed to shaft 305 journalled in bearings (not shown) in frame portions 306 and 307. Shaft 305 mounts rolls 227" with a space 227' at their central portion. It is through the medium of shaft 213 and the various gears mounted thereon and associated therewith that roll series 204 and 227 are driven.

Provision is also made for guiding the workpieces 31 through roll series 204 and 227. This structure includes cams 226 which are mounted on shaft 223 which is driven in a suitable manner. The use ofcams 226 eliminates the need for an oscillating lever such as 116 of FIGS. 1-5 and the complicated structure appurtenant thereto because it is the shape of the cams which provides the periodic clearance necessary for feeding the workpieces between the rolls and not the bodily movement of rolls 14-14' which the cams 226 replace. The simplified structure provided by the use of cams 226 permits more rapid machine operation as well as providing simplified machine structure. More specifically. shaft 213 also has pulley 214 keyed thereon. A second belt 215 encircles pulley 214 and pulley 216 which is keyed to shaft 217 which in turn is journalled in bearings 218 and 219 mounted within housing 220. A gear 221 is keyed to shaft 217 and in turn is in mesh with gear 222 keyed to shaft 223 journalled in spaced bearings 224 and 225 mounted in housing 220. The series of cams 226 are keyed to the portion of shaft 223 which extends out of housing 220 and these cams aid in pushing the workpieces 31 on feed wheel 206 through the spaced roll series 204 and 227. At this point it is to be especially noted that the embodiment of FlGS. 16-22 is more simplified than FIGS. 1-5 in that only two spaced roll series are used. namely. 204 and 227. The third roll series 14-14 off FIGS. 1-5 has been elimi nated but in their place cams 226 are used.

Feed wheel 206 is driven in timed relationship to the movement of cams 226 so that the outer surfaces 240 of cams 226 follow in close proximity to the leads 29 as workpiece 31, which may be identical to workpiece 12. is carried by the feed wheel 206 but do not engage leads 29 until immediately prior to their engagement by roll series 204 and 227 to thereby stabilize the workpiece in this area. Cams 226 maintain engagement with leads 29 after the leads terminate engagement with roll series 204 and 227. to thereby push workpiece 31 from the straightening area. It is to be noted that cams 226 are eccentrically mounted on shaft 223. Furthermore. shaft 223 rotates at a constant angular speed. and therefore because of the eccentric mounting of cams 226 on shaft 223. the portions of the surfaces 240 which are further from the axis of shaft 225, will travel at a greater linear speed. Thus. for example. when the workpiece 31 travels on feed wheel 206 so that it is followed by the portion of cam surface 240 between points E and C. the travel will be relatively fast. From point C to point D the travel will be relatively slow. This follows the type of action such as shown on curve 241 in FIG. 22 which depicts the acceleration and deceleration of feed wheel 206 between points S at which the workpieces are held between roll series 204 and 227, with the greatest acceleration being at points F midway between points St The cam surface 240 follows leads 29 in close proximity until point C is reached whereas from point C to point D there is engagement of the workpiece leads 29 by the cams and a relatively constant rate of travel as the workpiece passes through roll series 204 and 227 as guided by cams 226. Because of this speeding up of the workpiece from point S to point F the workpiece is carried more rapidly to the work zone than if it were dropped into the work Zone by gravity. During the travel of the workpiece while it is engaged by cams 226 between points C and D. it travels relatively slowly through the work zone between roll series 204 and 227 as guided by cams 226, and it is during this travel that the leads 29 are straightened. Thereafter feed wheel 206 speeds up. It is to be noted that each cam 226 includes a relatively straight portion 240' extending in a counterclockwise direction from point D. This straight portion permits the next workpiece entering the space between roll series 204 and 227 to pass cam 226 before it is subsequently engaged by the cam at point C.

The driving relationship for intermittently accelerating and decelerating the movement of feed wheel 206, as described above. is obtained by a special gearing ar- 

1. A machine for simultaneously straightening the leads extending from opposite sides of the central portion of a workpiece comprising a base, first, second and third substantially parallel roll sets mounted on said base to define a first space in which said leads are placed when they are engaged by said roll sets, each of said roll sets comprising first and second coaxial roll means with a second space therebetween, and means for mounting said first and second roll means of said first and second roll sets in a cantilevered manner.
 2. A machine as set forth in claim 1 including means for mounting said first and second roll means of said third roll set in a cantilevered manner.
 3. A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said first and second roll means comprises a plurality of spaced rolls.
 4. A machine as set forth in claim 1 including feed means for conveying said workpiece to and from said first space and for maintaining substantial engagement with said workpiece while conveying said workpiece and while said workpiece is in said first space.
 5. A machine for simultaneously straightening the leads extending from opposite sides of the central portion of a workpiece comprising a base, a plurality of substantially parallel roll means mounted on said base for defining a space for receiving said leads for simultaneously rolling said leads therebetween, feed means for conveying said workpiece to and from said space and maintaining substantial engagement with said workpiece while conveying said workpiece and while said workpiece is in said space, said feed means comprising arm supporting means, outwardly extending arm means on said arm-supporting means for carrying said workpiece, and means movably mounting said arm means on said arm supporting means to permit said arm means to adjust to the position of said workpiece carried thereby while said workpiece is in said space.
 6. A machine as set forth in claim 5 including pivot means for pivotally mounting said arm means on said arm supporting means.
 7. A machine as set forth in claim 6 wherein said pivot means is located substantially centrally of said arm means.
 8. A machine as set forth in claim 6 including means for biasing said arm means to a predetermined position on said arm supporting means.
 9. A machine as set forth in claim 8 wherein said biasing means comprises spring means for biasing said arm means in a single direction.
 10. A machine as set forth in claim 9 including drive means for driving said arm supporting means in an intermittent manner.
 11. A machine as set forth in claim 8 wherein said biasing means comprises means for biasing said arm means to a central position on said arm supporting means while permitting said arm means to yield in opposite directions from said central portion.
 12. A machine as set forth in claim 11 including drive means for driving said arm supporting means in a substantially continuous manner.
 13. A machine as set forth in claim 5 including ejector means for aiding in discharging said workpiece from said arm means.
 14. A machine as set forth in claim 13 wherein said ejector means comprises pin means slidably mounted on said arm means.
 15. A machine as set forth in claim 5 including a second space between said roll means, and guide means in said second space for engaging said central portion of said workpiece while said workpiece is in said first space.
 16. A machine as set forth in claim 15 wherein said guide means comprises a stationary member, and a curved surface on said stationary member of a configuration which substantially defines the path generated by the outer surface of said central portion of said workpiece.
 17. A machine as set forth in claim 16 including means for adjusting the position of said curved surface.
 18. A machine as set forth in claim 5 including workpiece engaging means on said arm means, said workpiece engaging means comprising spaced arm means for receiving said central portion of said workpiece therebetween, and slots in said arm means for receiving said leads.
 19. A machine as set forth in claim 5 including workpiece engaging means on said arm means, said workpiece engaging means comprising magnet means on the outer ends of said arm means.
 20. A machine for rolling a lead extending from a workpiece comprising roll means for engaging said lead, and feed means for conveying said workpiece toward and away from said roll means comprising arm means for maintaining engagement with said workpiece while it is in engagement with said roll means and while it is being carried toward and away from said roll means, arm-supporting means, and mounting means movably mounting said arm means on said arm-supporting means to permit relative movement between said workpiece and said arm means while said workpiece is in engagement with said roll means.
 21. A machine as set forth in claim 20 including means for driving said arm-supporting means in an intermittent manner.
 22. A machine as set forth in claim 20 including means for driving said arm-supporting means at a substantially uniform constant speed.
 23. A machine as set forth in claim 22 wherein said mounting means include means for permitting said arm means to move in opposite directions.
 24. A machine for straightening an elongated wire-like workpiece comprising a base, first and second substantially parallel sets of roll means mounted on said base and defining a work station therebetween for said workpiece, said first set of roll means comprising a plurality of coaxial spaced first rolls with first spaces therebetween, said second set of roll means comprising a plurality of coaxial spaced second rolls with second spaces therebetween, cam means, and cam mounting means mounting said cam means relative to said first and second rolls to cause said cam means to periodically enter said first and second spaces to move a workpiece through said work station.
 25. A machine as set forth in claim 24 including a feed wheel for carrying said workpiece from a pick-up station to a delivery station and maintaining engagement therewith throughout the travel between said stations.
 26. A machine as set forth in claim 25 wherein said cam means is of a contour to closely follow said workpiece during a major portion of its travel and to engage said workpiece only substantially at said work station.
 27. A machine as set forth in claim 26 wherein said feed wheel is driven at a substantially uniform rotary speed.
 28. A feed mechanism for feeding elongated magnetic workpieces to a rolling machine comprising a hopper, spaced magnetic sides on said hopper for causing said magnetic workpieces to line up therebetween, a feed wheel, pick-up means on the outer portions of said feed wheel for picking up single workpieces, a rolling machine, and drive means for causing said feed wheel to advance to carry said workpieces from said hopper to said rolling machine, said pick-up means including means for maintaining contact with said workpiece while said workpiece is acted on by said rolling machine.
 29. A feed mechanism as set forth in claim 28 wherein said pick-up means comprise a plurality of magnets on said feed wheel.
 30. A feed mechanism as set forth in claim 29 wherein said pick-up means comprise arm means mounting said magnets, and pivot means mounting said arm means on said feed wheel.
 31. A feed mechanism as set forth in claim 30 wherein said pivot means include means for permitting said arm means to pivot in opposite directions from a central position.
 32. A feed mechanism as set forth in claim 28 wherein said pick-up means comprise arm means, and pivot means mounting said arm means for pivotal movement on said feed wheel.
 33. A feed mechanism as set forth in claim 32 wherein said pivot means include means for permitting said arm means to pivot in opposite directions from a central position.
 34. A feed mechanism as set forth in claim 33 including means for driving said feed wheel at a substantially constant uniform speed. 